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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 617
 
Location: London Ontario | My good friend is due in August so the OCD person that I am needs to start planning her gift now. It is her first child and I want to make sure it is something really sentimental but at the same time useful. So for those of you who have had baby showers, what was you favorite gift to receive? As of right now I am thinking of getting a diaper bag and filling it full of different things. Is there anything you couldn't have survived having kids without? Thanks all in advance!!! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1074
 
| My children both love the baby blankets that were made for them. They both use them even now that they are older. |
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I Really Love Jeans
Posts: 3173
Location: North Dakota | Get the "baby" a Savings Bond!!!! By the time baby grows up it will be worth more!!! You can also write a letter to the White House and they will mail you a letter welcoming baby!! I have one from the Bill Clinton administration on white house stationary, its framed and in my sons room. He is in high school now LOL!! I do have a new baby despite being in my 40's and the most useful item I use daily is my Arm and Hammer diaper pail it is 10 times better than the diaper genie!!!! I also use my bottle maker, it is a Tommee Tippee, all you have to do is put the formula powder in the bottle, the machine fills it with water at just the right temperature. Believe me If I could have one item at all for my child I would pick the Tommee Tippee bottle maker over anything, even diapers lol!!!!. It is just under $200 with tax but OMG worth every penny!!!!!!! At 2:00am when baby wakes up screaming you can make a bottle in about 30 seconds instead of fumbling and trying to warm the bottle etc...!!!! |
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 Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | The problem with diapers and clothes is that you just don't know what size the baby will be. Once you find out, a case of diapers for when she comes home will be nice. You can get clothes big, you always need clean clothes, lol. I got several pacifiers (I registered for them, so that's why) but, my baby boy won't have anything to do with one. He sucks on it and when nothing comes out he spits it out and looks at it like it's defective. Also, the mom might have a particular kind of diaper bag in mind. There are tons of different styles available. If she registered, I'd say to just stick to her registry unless you're very good friends and you have seen her admiring some item or heard her comment that she liked something. You can offer to take her shopping. Or, offer to take her to go register. That, in itself, was a gift from a friend of mine who has far more mom experience than I do.
To answer your original question, though... things I found very useful are Boudreaux's Butt Paste, cotton receiving blankets and burp cloths (though I have read that some never use them because some babies aren't very spitty), Exersaucer, pack and play, swing/bouncer (he is six months old and I have a thing to set him in in every room right now) co-sleeper bed, sleep sack (in the beginning, the swaddle sack because I could never get the swaddle right with a regular blanket), baby monitor (video if you can afford it), projector with various sounds for sleep time, lots of extra crib sheets, whatever brand bottle mom wants to use, wipe warmer, trash can for diapers (like diaper genie), a good thermometer (the only one that I found fast enough is the Braun thermoscan that goes in the ear), fingernail trimming set.... and that's all I can think of off the top of my head. A few of those are big ticket items, but really nice to have.
...oh, and a pony. |
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Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | angelica - 2015-02-02 2:16 PM
Get the "baby" a Savings Bond!!!! By the time baby grows up it will be worth more!!! You can also write a letter to the White House and they will mail you a letter welcoming baby!! I have one from the Bill Clinton administration on white house stationary, its framed and in my sons room. He is in high school now LOL!! I do have a new baby despite being in my 40's and the most useful item I use daily is my Arm and Hammer diaper pail it is 10 times better than the diaper genie!!!! I also use my bottle maker, it is a Tommee Tippee, all you have to do is put the formula powder in the bottle, the machine fills it with water at just the right temperature. Believe me If I could have one item at all for my child I would pick the Tommee Tippee bottle maker over anything, even diapers lol!!!!. It is just under $200 with tax but OMG worth every penny!!!!!!! At 2:00am when baby wakes up screaming you can make a bottle in about 30 seconds instead of fumbling and trying to warm the bottle etc...!!!!Â
Now I want a bottle maker.
And I'll be looking at that diaper pail, thanks. |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| A maid for a few weeks! |
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  Ms. Marine
Posts: 4641
Location: Texas | IMO you can never have enough diapers or baby wipes. |
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 The One
Posts: 7998
Location: South Georgia | I actually just went to a baby shower this weekend. I purchased one of the large basket/bins that went with the baby's room color scheme. I filled it with random things I knew she would need:
sippy cups
pacifiers
a stain protecting crib matress protector
heat-sensitive spoons
a dishwasher rack for bottle pieces
hangers
nose cleaning bulb (whatever they are called)
hair brush
nail clippers
toys that attach to car seat
teething things
a bottle cleaning brush
....and one package of diapers.
I think its nice to think of sentimental things, but I think first time moms will appreciate practical things they will have to buy anyway gifts as well. That's what I did.
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 448
Location: lone star state | One of the best gifts I got as a new mom was all the little things you need in the middle of night! Such as tylenol, cold medicine, colic relief, thermometer. Go to walgreens or cvs and ask pharmacy for assistance if needed. It doesn't matter gender or size and it will be forgotten until needed at 2 am :) get cute container to organize/store items in. I soo appreciated this gift. You can also do certificates for meals or chores if you are a really close friend. New moms don't feel like doing anything besides caring for baby... |
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Veteran
Posts: 161
Location: Right Where I'm Meant To Be :) | The best thing I had was a monitor that had a pad that went under the mattress and if the baby stopped breathing an alarm went off!! I slept a lot better with that. Also I would suggest making coupons good for personal things like going over for an hour so she can rest, get groceries for her, vacuum (since she won't be allowed to for a while), make frozen dinners, etc. those things will mean a lot more to her than you realize. You can put these coupons in the diaper bag. Another item is a pair of sweats or yoga pants to wear at the hospital. :) |
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 Veteran
Posts: 178
| I agree the savings bonds are a great idea. My aunt and uncle give one to my kids each birthday. I love that it's actually useful!
I have also given a newborn photography certificate from an awesome photographer near us! The package is a newborn, 6 months and year old photo shoot. I think that's my favorite gift to give! It is so neat to see it put to use :) |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1066
| I don't know how much you're wanting to spend, but a Tula baby carrier would be an amazing gift... It's something that will be used, but they come in a variety of prints and you can get something you know she'll love!
My sister in law and new nephew's shower was last weekend and I got her a really nice diaper bag and filled it with a few things that have been big hits with my son... A winkle toy, Padraigs shoes (essential), and a book called "That's not my tractor". The "That's not my..." Books are a huge hit with my son as they are touch and feel. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 617
Location: London Ontario | Wow you guys are awesome!! I am going to look into some photography gift cards now! We are still leaning towards a diaper bag full of stuff(I have noted all your suggestions) and then throwing some gift cards in as well. We also had already planned to make some frozen stuff to bring over! |
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Location: NE Wyoming | spanky - 2015-02-02 6:18 PM
The best thing I had was a monitor that had a pad that went under the mattress and if the baby stopped breathing an alarm went off!! I slept a lot better with that. Also I would suggest making coupons good for personal things like going over for an hour so she can rest, get groceries for her, vacuum (since she won't be allowed to for a while), make frozen dinners, etc. those things will mean a lot more to her than you realize. You can put these coupons in the diaper bag. Another item is a pair of sweats or yoga pants to wear at the hospital. :)
Do you know where the monitor pad came from? I have been looking everywhere for one and can't find them! They sound great! |
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 Ima Fickle Fan
Posts: 3547
Location: Texas | If you are going to get a diaper bag and fill with items, I would recommend a backpack over a shoulder bag. I'm on baby number 2 and wish I had done this from the beginning. I would also recommend getting things like:
- gripe water (for gas)
- butt paste
- teething tablets
- Tylenol
- wipes
- baby wash for colds (Johnson & Johnson makes one in a green bottle - it is awesome!)
While none of these are sentimental, they are NEEDED. If your friend has lots of crafty friends, I wouldn't do a baby blanket. I say this because I am from a crafty family. I have 45+ HOMEMADE blankets I have received for my boys. While I appreciate them and want to keep all of them, that is an INSANE number of blankets to try and store/use.
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 Veteran
Posts: 234
Location: Oklahoma | Diapers were my favorite thing from my shower I had enought diapers given to me I didnt have to buy any till she was 6 months old.. Cuz if they out grown if the package isnt open just take them back and exchange them for a differnt size.. A bumbo seat was great too... my favorite memory thing is a have a cute burlap photo album to keep all the hundreds of pictures i take of her to keep in there and never forget all the wonderful memories. and one can never have enough bibs! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 494
Location: La Frontera | I liked getting clothes for when they're older. I asked for clothes up to 24 months. My son is that age now and I'm just now having to buy him clothes, which is awesome!
I like the idea of the basket full of medicines. It seems that the kid always gets sick on the weekend when the local pharmacy isn't open and the next nearest one is 45 minutes away. It was very useful to have those drugs on hand.
Also diapers in larger sizes. I got a bunch of 1's and 2's at the shower and I didn't have to buy diapers until he was almost 6 months old. |
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 Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | My favorite was the diaper bag.never have to many bottles and bottle brush. Booties and hand warmers and little hats.Clothes are cute, but suit with the draw string bottom allowed for growth and practical for changing.Several plastic pants that hold the ooze. Several cloth diapers use for everything not just one function also help save cost of daily diapers.Car seat, stroller large enough to take the house with you. Sturdy play pen. High chair a must. I used hard beef jerky for teething taste good and after Gummy it to death gets to be the right texture. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1066
| I should add that if I had been prepared more than 2 days in advance I would have put some essential oils in the diaper bag. Young Living Peace &Calming, Lavender, and Thieves are an essential part of my day. |
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Veteran
Posts: 238
| One of my favorite gifts was a diaper bag embroidered with my son's name. It doesn't look like a diaper bag, just a cute bag. Try Etsy.com - lots of cute ones there.
For "inserts" : baby Tylenol, baby ibuprofen, take and toss containers for snacks, several small packages of baby wipes, disposable changing pads.
For baby clothes, think practical. I got so I only wanted jumpers, shirts, onesies etc that SNAPPED ALL OF THE WAY UP THE FRONT. When you have puke or dirty outfits, you don't want to try to pull them over the head.
Early days I went through a lot of thin, knit blankets. After 6 months, we still use a lot of blankets, but thicker ones in knit or fuzzy type stuff.
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